Tag Archives: erotic romance

Nina St James divorced herself from romance a year ago when she divorced her cheating husband. Still, as an erotic romance author, she has deadlines to meet. Hoping to be inspired, she heads to the local fetish club to research all the exotic toys and furnishings, and of course the unique people.

Deven and Daniel Jacobs remember the vibrant sexy writer whose books had intrigued them since they’d moved to America. The woman who faded into insecurity after she caught her bloody bastard of a husband cheating. Deven and Daniel vow, after seeing her in a local fetish club, that they will reawaken, and claim, the kinky sex kitten they’ve been fantasizing about for years.

Todd and Debbie engage in a game of strip poker that has bigger stakes than either of them expected.

Todd thinks Debbie is the sexiest woman alive, despite the hideous Happy Burger uniform she’s wearing. The tatts peeking from beneath her tan outfit and the band-aid that’s not quite covering the ring in her nose tell him she’s just the girl for him. Unfortunately, she seems to think he’s a geek. Damn, why didn’t he change his clothes after his interview? It doesn’t matter, though. He’ll just have to convince her to take it all off him with a game of strip poker. Then she’ll see who he really is, and he’ll see what hides beneath her bland clothes.

Debbie can’t believe the dorky-looking guy who’s been staring at her since he and his friend sat down has the nerve to ask her out. No way! She’d never agree to go out with such a square. Then Todd bets he can surprise her, and Debbie accepts the challenge. Partly because she loves a good bet, but mostly because something dark and sexy in his eyes tells her he might be worth it. She’s shocked when he comes to pick her up in a sexy black truck with barbed-wire on the grill, and when he gets her back to his place for a game of strip poker, she finds the evening’s surprises may never sto

Excerpt

“What are we going to play?”

“Strip poker.” The corner of his mouth lifted, revealing a slight dimple.

She cocked her head, watching him for a moment. He sat across from her, with no emotion exposed. A great poker face. Well, a bet was a bet.

“Deal.” She tapped the table in front of her, and took another drink. “But I get to pick the game.”

“Order it up.”

“Five card stud. Show ’em if you got ’em. Nice and easy.” She pushed her hair behind her ear and moved her hand toward the pile in front of her.

He nodded and started to deal, fingers flying as the cards hit the table.

“Ah ah ah,” he said, waving a finger like a school teacher, “antes on the table first.”

He grasped his shoe, jerking it off his foot, and placing it on the table. She unbuckled her jacket and placed it next to the shoe. Her black tank top and leather shorts would have to come off before her thigh highs and garter, but she had both shoes before she got to that point.

“This is a standing ante,” he said, his eyes wandering over her in a way that made her want to stretch and expose more of her body to him. “That means whoever wins isn’t allowed to remove their ante and put it back on. You only win the other person’s clothes, but you can’t wear them. And you can’t win your own clothes back.”

Slick. Good way to get naked quick.

“All right.” She hoisted an eyebrow. “I can agree to that.”

A moment later, when their cards dropped onto the table, he’d dealt himself a pair of twos and her a pair of sixes. She wiggled her eyebrows, and collected the shoe. He went for the other shoe, but she put out a hand to stop him.

“Come on now. You aren’t really going to give me another shoe are you? Are you afraid to take off something more substantial?”

I consider myself an old/new writer. Old because I have been working the pen and the muse for nearly twenty years, and new because that’s the very first thing my editor taught me when he accepted my manuscript for publication.

In fact, his exact words were, “okay, now the real work begins!” What? Real work? is he kidding? My story is 100% finished, fin-ee-to…I should know! I wrote it! So when I told him, he emailed me back…”hun…it’s a good story, but we need to work on it…so here’s what I need you to do…..

His email came with a list of corrections that to me seemed a mile long. All I could do is picture my editor sitting behind his desk, wicked grin on his face wringing his hands together…muaaahahaahahahaha!

Swallowing mt pride, I obeyed my Editorial Sensei and did all the corrections he suggested, revised, rewrote…added some new scenes and fixed my prose. Hmmm, it actually sounded pretty darn good, better than the original….

I just learned Lesson Number One…Just because you can write a good story doesn’t mean you know how. I know that sounds crazy, but it is true. I can weave a tale. In fact I did just that. However, I didn’t know poop about the rules, technicalities or the minute nuances that can make the difference between being a published Author or just an amateur story-teller…

I had several issues with POV in the first six chapters of my Novel. My editor pointed that out and redirected me to read several blogs and literature about POV and deep POV, which I humbly read, I even took a class on POV tutored by my Editor and learned a ton of valuable information, which helped me pinpoint all my POV issues and fix them before I returned the manuscript. The result was, a much smoother, faster paced novel.

Okay so I fixed the manuscript, patted myself on the back and returned it to my editor. A few days later I got an email back from him. Oh yeah this is it, my release date. Hear this world, “I AM AUTHOR hear me ROAR!”

My roar quickly fizzled to a barely audible whimper.” Great Job on the POV grasshopper… but now we need to work on the edits.”

WTF? Edits! With a shaking hand I opened the attachment. OMG! My Manuscript had been turned into a collage of red, black and yellow highlighted blocks of passages that had been marked with editorial notes or simply striked through….

Lesson Number Two–Back to basics. I can summarize lesson two in three words, grammar, grammar and oh did I mention grammar? Okay just so I’m not coming across as a completely illiterate idiot, my syntax was not all that bad…really it wasn’t. I had issues with word use, for example, their- vs- there, where- vs- were and capitalization. Simple stuff, but stuff that will stand out and make you look like a moron to the person reading your story.

Simply put, it is a very good idea to refresh your third and fourth grade english lessons. Yes we are never too old to go back and pick apart the english language, so we can re-educate ourselves about proper grammar usage. So I pulled out my ten-year olds english and creative writing text books and gave myself a refresher course on punctuation and the definition of nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives and pronouns. Then I went to Barnes and Noble and bought a pocket grammar dictionary, which is now my bible…

Okay fixed all the “edits”. I happily resent my manuscript with all the corrections. I didn’t pat myself on the back this time, but I did cross my fingers….

A week went by and I got another email from Sensei. Oh Boy! This was it, yep this was…NOT it…yet!

Lesson Number Three—This time I got an email from the publisher herself. She congratulated me and told me that my book was with the cover artist, yet there was an issue with my character descriptions! I gasped, what could possible be wrong with my characters, my babies…I gave them personality, social history, emotions…they’re perfect…I made sure to make them believable, giving them real character flaws. Some I even modeled after a few close friends and family…

However, what I didn’t take into account was reader perception. Yep. Although my characters were thoroughly developed, believable and had awesome interaction with each other, within the context of my story, I did not consider that the way my characters are described, could be offensive. One of my characters had braided long hair. When I had initial described him, he seemed out-of-place from not only the era came from, but his ethnicity was much too stereotypical. This could have come across as not only offensive, but turn off a major potential readership. A very important detail in any story. I learned that if I am writing about an ethnic group it is important to get the facts straight about the culture and historical accuracy of that group. Although in my book, the character in question was not of the particular ethnicity I had mistakenly alluded to, he simply appeared that way to the heroine.

So I corrected that and sent it back. Then I waited. Finally I received the email I had been waiting for. Cautiously, I opened the email. Yeah my cover and release date. I was so happy. Oh wait….there’s an email from Sensei…gulp….

Lesson Number Four—Promotion! I don’t care who you are….unless you have sold millions of copies, like Kenyon, Meyers, Patterson…etc…You have to Promote, Promote and did I mention Promote! Yes, it doesn’t end with the release of your book. As my Sensei said, “Now for the hard part…”

Promoting my book has been such an eye opener for me. I took my editor’s advice and started a Twitter account, a Facebook account, a Linkedin account and I have sent out requests for interviews to several popular blog sites, as well as an on-line magazine publisher, where I have several short stories posted. And it hasn’t slowed down. In fact, I’m up every night, half the night, working on blogs, promos and my next projects. I feel like I have two and a half fulltime jobs. I have been working roughly fourteen to sixteen hours a day, between my eight-hour day job, mommy duties and then at least six hours at night for writing. I am Loving every minute of it…

So now I am a published author. I have been blogging my little tush off on three different sites, including my own. Will be guest blogging on many others in the near future. Have been promoting like a mad woman on all my social networks. I have interviews and author spot lights lined up in the near future….ahhh life is good…

Lesson Number Five—One book is not going to make you a household name or fill you pockets. Yep, Sensei again. If you want to be a serious author, then you need to start sending in those submissions and keep writing new books. Only this time Sensei said, “Make sure you’ve learned from the first experience.” And the most important piece of advice he gave me, “Be ready, cuz the higher you go the harder you’re gonna work, that’s why you have to love what you do.”

In some romance novels, the type that might be sold in your local supermarket or corner store, the language isn’t so blunt. There may be mention of genitalia, possibly even being inserted into other genitalia, but the descriptions are relatively vague. The scene may be glossed over entirely, the so-called “closed curtain” version of a sex scene, where you know darn well what the characters are doing but don’t get to see it.

Even if the author follows the character into the bedroom, slightly euphemistic terms may be used. “His hardness”, “her softness”, that sort of thing. Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Some romance publishers require things to be couched in tamer terms, and some readers prefer reading them.

In erotic romance, however, things have to be a bit more in-your-face. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be erotic romance.

One thing authors have to be careful of when writing a sex scene, whether it’s the vague version or the explicit, is purple prose. Even though purple is a pretty color, purple prose is not so attractive. Such sentences as “He sheathed his fleshly sword deep within the warm folds of her” live within the purple prose story. (Disclaimer: I have no idea whether that particular sentence is in any book. I made it up, though it definitely fits “purple prose”.) While that sort of writing may have its place, that place is not in an erotic romance novel.

Different publishers have different requirements for language in an erotic romance, so as an author, it’s important to keep up with the guidelines. As a reader, it’s helpful to know which publisher uses terms that won’t offend you personally. For example, a friend of mine told me that a publisher I’m submitting to prefers the “C” word for female anatomy. A lot of people are very offended by that word, and at least two other publishers I’ve worked with won’t allow it in their books. Personally, I prefer it; the other frequently used word for that genitalia sounds silly to me. I can understand it bothering people, though.

When writing a romance, particularly an erotic romance, it’s sometimes hard to write the sex scenes without being repetitive. After all, there are a finite number of words that can be used to describe anatomy and acts, and some of those words aren’t allowed at some publishers. Some words are too “purple”. Some just plain aren’t even used in this century. As an erotic romance author, I want the sex scenes I write to be realistic. I want them to be frank, because that’s what erotic romance is.

I just probably ought to buy a sex thesaurus. And yes, those do exist.

The Pen and Muse said:
“Martine creates a world in which a reader could get lost in and never want to come home.”

Borrow Books said:
” happy to see that there’s at least one author out there who makes her characters strong enough to conquer their baser instincts! Well done MM!”

Sensual Erotic Romance & Erotica said:
“Missy Martine captures your heart with her tale of Cass. With the struggles Cass faces, you are overcome by the heart wrenching story of her past. Table for Three is a must read, scorcher of a book.”

Check out our author spotlight page and see what all the fuss is about.

—

Our Author Spotlight for February is Missy Martine.

About her-

Missy Martine is a retired nurse, and former business owner. She met the love of her life in an internet chat room back in 1997, and has been happily married for the last ten years. Now they live in California with their three babies, Beau, Midnight and Bubba. The three male cats live very pampered lives since being rescued by Missy and her husband.

Missy loves traveling, and has been all over the world. Although her favorite places are in the high desert, she has learned to love walking on the beach near her home. Her favorite vacations have been when they loaded up the jeep with supplies, and then took off for Wyoming and Montana to explore the back roads. Another of her hobbies is photography, and she loves taking pictures of wild animals. With her digital camera always ready, she’s been known to take several hundred pictures a day of the wildlife and scenery they encounter.

An avid reader of romance, she is a firm believer and advocate of getting a second chance at love. Visit her website and learn more about her writing.
Current Works –

Table For ThreeBook Reviews R Us. 5-Stars
Cass Abernathy is heading to Oregon to claim an inheritance. She doesn’t expect to find sexy twin brothers determined to make her theirs, or an amorous attorney holding on to her inheritance. Will she accept the love offered, and discover the truth about her inheritance before it’s too late?

Discovering Her Wolfen HeritageDark Diva Reviews – 5 Delightful Divas
Remus has always known Maddie would be his mate, but a tragic accident and a cruel doctor kept them apart for many years. Now they’re reunited, but Maddie doesn’t know about her heritage. Will she accept the wolf that lives inside and give her love to Remus?

Reviews

The Pen and Muse said:
“Martine creates a world in which a reader could get lost in and never want to come home.”

Book Wenches said:
” Ms. Martine has a talent for pulling her reader into the story and not letting them go.”

Dark Divas said:
“Missy Martine grants us with yet another wonderful book. She is a delicious temptation too good to pass up! Missy Martine creates a world of desire and love and adds a good dose of suspense. Like a delightful drug, I seem to be coming back for more.”

The Pen and Muse said:
“Martine creates a world in which a reader could get lost in and never want to come home.”

Borrow Books said:
” happy to see that there’s at least one author out there who makes her characters strong enough to conquer their baser instincts! Well done MM!”

Sensual Erotic Romance & Erotica said:
“Missy Martine captures your heart with her tale of Cass. With the struggles Cass faces, you are overcome by the heart wrenching story of her past. Table for Three is a must read, scorcher of a book.”

Check out our author spotlight page and see what all the fuss is about.

The Pen and Muse said:
“Martine creates a world in which a reader could get lost in and never want to come home.”

Borrow Books said:
” happy to see that there’s at least one author out there who makes her characters strong enough to conquer their baser instincts! Well done MM!”

Sensual Erotic Romance & Erotica said:
“Missy Martine captures your heart with her tale of Cass. With the struggles Cass faces, you are overcome by the heart wrenching story of her past. Table for Three is a must read, scorcher of a book.”

Check out our author spotlight page and see what all the fuss is about.

Today is the day, my pets. The Librarian’s Love is coming to play, and you can be there for every minute of it.
—
Who knew Paleontology would prove to be so fun…Blurb
Erica runs into Daniel, an old boyfriend, while working in the library. Sparks fly, and they can’t help the passion that builds between them. They end up renewing the old flame right there in the middle of the Paleontology section of the stately library.
—